


Nerve Endings

by orphan_account



Series: Webs of Love [4]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Anxiety, M/M, Panic Attack, Side-Story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-23
Updated: 2015-11-23
Packaged: 2018-05-03 00:33:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5269880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kuroo accidentally triggers Kageyama's anxiety and must go apologise and set things right again.  </p><p>This is a scene from 'Caught Up in You' written from Kageyama's perspective.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Nerve Endings

**Author's Note:**

> Just a little scene exploration from Caught Up in You because I felt like this would be a really great way to get into Kageyama's head a little more and flesh out his character more. I've listed it as AkaKage even though this story focuses more on Kuroo and Kageyama.

Nerve Endings

 

Kageyama Tobio knows he’s no good at dealing with people. Case in point; he’s never had friends until he came to high school. In some way or another, he insults people without meaning to, steps on the insecurities of his peers without realising it. It oftentimes feels like he’s walking around with a blindfold on. Because he’s always been unaware of social cues, people tend to keep him at arms’ length. He used to get upset by it back in elementary school, but by the time he reached middle school he had accepted it as just a normal occurrence.

That’s why it still surprises him whenever he meets new people and they accept him, rather than casting him aside and giving him and his awkward personality up for a lost cause. There’s Hinata, Daichi, Suga, Asahi, Nishinoya, Tanaka, Yamaguchi, Tsukishima (to some extent), Narita, Kinoshita and Ennoshita. They all accept him for who he is and he never feels like he’s not welcome, or that all they want from him is his setter abilities.

But now here, at the training camp, there’s potential to open himself up to more people. Yet he’s still bad at communicating. When he met Akaashi Keiji, his voice almost didn’t work right at first; he mumbled a lot, kept looking away. Despite that, Akaashi was patient and kind, giving him time to formulate responses.

But then there’s Kuroo, and Kageyama can tell he’s going to be a bit harder to warm up to. He always seems to be smirking about something, like he knows something everyone else doesn’t. His mere presence alone sets Kageyama’s teeth on edge.

“Well, well, well,” Kuroo says. He sits at the table next to Kageyama and throws an arm around his shoulder. Taken by surprise, Kageyama freezes. What is this? What should he do? Is he in trouble or something? “If it isn’t my old friend Kageyama, the volleyball genius. How are you on this fine morning?”

Across the table, Akaashi glares daggers at Kuroo, who appears not to notice.

“F-f-f-fine,” stammers Kageyama. He wants to ask Kuroo if he can remove his arm as it’s making him uncomfortable, but he’s scared of insulting Kuroo and making an enemy out of him. He overheard Daichi calling Kuroo ‘the cunning type’, so if he’s cunning, wouldn’t he know how to put Kageyama six feet under and get away with it?

“And how’re you enjoying Akaashi’s company? Finding it … enjoyable? To your taste? Are you having … fun? Getting excited, by any chance?”

There’s a hidden meaning in there, Kageyama knows there is, even if he can’t work out what it is exactly. If Akaashi’s narrowed eyes and stiff posture are anything to go by, it’s nothing good.

“W-what? I-I-I don’t—what?”

“Leave him alone, Kuroo.” Akaashi rolls his eyes, propping his elbow up on the table, placing his chin on his palm. “Don’t you ever get tired of riling people up?”

“I’m not riling him up.” Kuroo frowns, then leans forward and grins at Kageyama, who flinches. Akaashi can’t blame him; it looks closer to a leer if anything. “Am I annoying you Kageyama? Am I riling you up?”

Kageyama tries to tell Kuroo that yes, he’s riling him up, but the words catch in his throat. All eyes are on him now, and he feels like the world’s biggest idiot. No one else seems to have an issue with talking to other people. In fact, they make it look too easy. Why’s he the only one with this problem?

“You’re freaking him out,” snarls Akaashi. “Leave him be.”

“Yeah, Kuroo,” says Hinata. “I think you should probably ease off a bit. He doesn’t look so good.”

Oh god, they’ve noticed? They’ve actually noticed he’s not alright? Does that mean he’s not hiding it very well? They’re staring at him—all of them, every single one—with something akin to pity in their eyes. Not to mention Kuroo, who’s leaning in to get a peek of his face—

Kageyama can’t stand the humiliation anymore. He abandons the table in a hurry, throwing Kuroo’s arm off, and sprints out of the cafeteria as fast as he can go. He thinks he hears Akaashi shout something, but he doesn’t care enough to stop.

 

* * *

 

He stops next to the first gym and collapses to his knees, trying to regulate his breathing. It’s hitching in his chest to the point where it hurts. His hands are shaking. Now he’s done it. He’s fucked everything up. There’s no way anyone would want to be around him now that he’s proved himself a freak.

What would Kuroo do to him when they see each other again? Will he tease Kageyama or punch him? Kageyama doesn’t want to find out, wants to steer clear of him and pray they never clap eyes on each other for the rest of the training camp, regardless of how impossible that actually is.

“Are you okay?” asks a voice, and Kageyama’s head shoots up in surprise. Kozume Kenma sits with his back pressed to the wall of the gym, a game system in his hand. He looks torn between coming over to check on Kageyama and staying where he is to continue playing his game. “What’s the matter?”

Kageyama tries to speak but the words won’t come. He shakes his head and buries his face in his hands, willing himself to calm down.

“Kageyama, there you are!” shouts Hinata from a distance. Kageyama flinches. Of all the people to see him in this state …

“Shouyou,” says Kenma, surprised. Then his voice darkens as he says, “Kuroo, did you two have something to do with this?”

Kageyama tenses at the mention of Kuroo. What’s he doing here? Has he come to extract his revenge because Kageyama ran off on him so suddenly? What’s going on? What’s—

There’s a hand on his shoulder.

“I apologise for causing you such distress,” says Kuroo formally. He’s down on one knee, getting as close as he can to Kageyama without overstepping into Kageyama’s personal space. It’s his hand on Kageyama’s shoulder. “I was joking around and didn’t realise I’d upset you until it was too late.”

“So you did have something to do with it,” says Kenma, frowning. “You really ought to know when to cut out the antics, Kuroo. Don’t you ever get tired of riling people up?”

Kuroo laughs. “Akaashi said the same thing not too long ago.”

“Well he is smarter than you,” says Kenma tartly. “You should start listening to him more often. Might do you some good.”

Hinata’s kneeling down beside Kenma, trying to take a peek at his game. “What are you playing, Kenma? Is it the same as yesterday?”

“No, I grew bored with that one.” Kenma’s voice takes up its usual dry monotone, although his eyes light up at the prospect of talking about a new game of his. “This one is a different one but by the same company and much, much better …”

“So what do you say?” asks Kuroo, turning back to Kageyama. There’s an amused tilt to his lips, but there’s a concerned look in his eye. Kageyama can tell he feels really troubled and apologetic. “Feel up to forgiving me for my mistake?”

Kageyama nods his head. “S-sure.”

He doesn’t have it in him to hold any sort of grudge. He got upset, Kuroo apologised, and that’s the end of that, really. Doesn’t mean he doesn’t feel any less on edge around Kuroo, though, and wishes to put a little bit of distance between them for a while.

“Good!” says Kuroo loudly, making Kageyama jump. “Hinata, Kenma, get up. We’re going back to the cafeteria.”

“Okay!” shouts Hinata, leaping to his feet. He drags Kenma up by his elbow and coaxes him to move. “Come on, Kageyama. Let’s go!”

Kageyama shakes his head and gets to his feet after accepting Kuroo’s helping hand. He brushes off the dirt from his pants and follows along behind the rest of the group, glad that neither of them try to pull him into conversation. He’s not in the mood.

 

* * *

 

“All sorted!” says Kuroo “Apologies have been spoken, both sides have made up. All is right with the world.”

“Are you alright?” Akaashi murmurs to Kageyama, leaning across the table.

Kageyama nods. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

And he means it. His first impression of Kuroo was wrong, and he actually isn’t a bad guy. As he looks around at everyone gathered at the table, squashed together so that they barely have any room, Kageyama can see himself liking these people, opening up to them. They make him feel like he’s wanted because of who he is as a person.

As Akaashi pushes Kageyama’s plate over and tells him to eat, Kageyama can especially see himself getting closer to him. Kageyama thinks of Akaashi as a hybrid of Sugawara and Daichi; kind and caring, but also the kind of person who won’t take any crap from anyone, and has no problem correcting people when they’re wrong.

Kageyama wants to get closer to all of them. He wants to be able to talk to them without fear. If that’s to happen, he knows he’s going to put a lot of effort in. He’s going to have to talk back when someone speaks to him, or initiate conversations on his own if need be. But he’s willing to do it. He’s been presented with a rare opportunity to make lots of friends, and he’s going to take it and make the best of it.

**Author's Note:**

> [Come follow me on Tumblr for more AkaKage!](http://beaunaratau.tumblr.com/)


End file.
